BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — Kern County Sheriff Donny Youngblood is opening up about his decision to retire, saying the reaction from the public has been overwhelmingly positive — and that he has no regrets.
Youngblood, who announced his retirement plans to the Board of Supervisors, said his last day in uniform will be January 7, 2027, capping more than 50 years of service — including three years in the U.S. Army before joining the Kern County Sheriff's Department.
"I know it's time to go, and the department's gonna be better off. I hope it's better off than when I took over, and I hope it'll be improved as we go along," Youngblood said.
He said he reached his final decision to retire about 6 months ago, after initially planning to serve only his original 4-year term and not the additional 2 years that were added on.
"I really didn't come to that final conclusion or decision until about 6 months ago, and I started working towards finishing projects and getting ready to go," Youngblood said.
Youngblood said the response from the public since the announcement has been largely supportive, though not unanimous.
"There are certain people out there that are negative, but they're negative on everything that we do. I wear it as a badge of honor, but overwhelmingly 99% have been very positive," Youngblood said.
He said his family and command staff had mixed feelings — wanting him to stay, but also understanding it was time.
"The command staff don't want you to go, but they want you to go. And it's like I told the board, I'm gonna make everybody happy. People that want me to go, people who don't want me to go, everybody's gonna be happy," Youngblood said.
Department priorities before he leaves
Youngblood said he feels the department is in strong shape heading into the transition, with staffing above 90% and most of his goals accomplished. He noted the ongoing Department of Justice investigation is nearing its end, though he said he could not wait on it indefinitely.
"I can't wait them out. They put us off, put us off, and I really don't have anything left that I have to do. I've accomplished everything I wanted to. The department's in great shape," Youngblood said.
Among his final priorities, the Board of Supervisors recently approved requests for a new Bearcat armored vehicle and a new Rook tactical robot. Youngblood said both face a 2-to-3-year waiting list due to high demand, but said the equipment is critically needed — particularly for the eastern part of the county.
"The east side of the county gets neglected with things like that, and this will be, we can store them on the east side of the county, Roseland, Ridgecrest, Mojave. Those are areas that have more than half of our callouts are in the eastern," Youngblood said.
He added that more than half of the department's search and rescue operations take place in East Kern.
The approval of the new Bearcat comes after the department's existing vehicle sustained damage during a standoff. Youngblood said the incident revealed important limitations.
"We learned that it's bullet resistant, not necessarily bulletproof. If you hit the same spot 3 or 4 times, it may collapse. We also learned that the Bearcat's not protected underneath. The new one will be. When we bought the Bearcat, we weren't thinking along the lines of IEDs, and we do now in today's world," Youngblood said.
He described the Rook as a highly effective tool for law enforcement operations.
"The Rook is a spectacular tool. It can insert gas. It can tear the door off where you can see what's going on inside, probably scares the hell out of the bad guy and it makes him want to give up. So we're really, really pleased with the Rook," Youngblood said.
Encampment cleanup results
The department recently conducted an encampment cleanup, contacting about 40 people, making 18 arrests — including 10 felonies — and hauling off tons of trash. Youngblood said shelter and services were offered to all 40 individuals through homeless services and Flood Ministries, but none accepted.
"It's the same old story, this different place," Youngblood said.
He acknowledged the limits of what law enforcement can do to address homelessness.
"It's a way of life, and you have to make them uncomfortable and unfortunately, part of the homeless population are homeless for a valid reason. A large percentage are because they abuse drugs throughout their life. They have mental health issues. Those all have to be addressed and we're trying to address those on the street because we can't make them go, and it's a very difficult, if not impossible task," Youngblood said.
Air rescue program back in service
Youngblood also highlighted the return of the department's hoist rescue program, which had been suspended due to budget constraints. He said paramedics have completed their training and the program is back in operation.
He pointed to a recent river rescue as an example of the program's value.
"It wasn't a hoist, it was a rescue in the river where had we not seen her and had we not had Air One up to find her, she would have drowned. There's no way she would have survived. The one trapped under that rock — she couldn't be seen from any place except for that platform," Youngblood said.
He noted that certification is now required for hoist rescues.
"You can't just go hoist people out of the river like we used to," Youngblood said.
Life after the badge
When asked how he will handle leaving behind a uniform he has worn for decades, Youngblood was candid.
"We'll see," Youngblood said.
He added with a laugh that if anyone sees him still wearing the uniform after his retirement date, they should take it as a sign something is wrong.
"If you see me walking down the street in February wearing this uniform, call and get mental health for me," Youngblood said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy
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